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Helsing
The Helsing is a multi-stroke pneumatic air rifle that was created from scrap and the Revolver by the Metro dwellers at some point after the Great War of 2013. Tactics and Use At a glance, the Helsing is one of the most effective guns around. Silent, powerfully effective, and with ammunition that is near infinitely reusable, the Helsing seems like the ideal weapon for stealth, however in practice it does not perform perfectly. It works in much the same way the Tihar does, so the guns are frequently compared to one another, as both are stealth weapons with an emphasis on marksmanship. It hisses just like the Tihar when over-pressurized, and both use a similar pumping mechanism. The differences between the Helsing and Tihar are numerous, however, and worthy of note. The most obvious is that unlike the Tihar's ball bearings, the Helsing fires arrows, which have much more consistent damage than the ball bearings, especially when used for stealth attacks (where the arrows are often lethal). These arrows, again, are reusable provided you can reach them, making them one of the best ammo types for cost. The Helsing can equip a scope, like the Tihar, but this scope is the PK-AV Scope used by the Kalash, not the open-eye optical scope of the Tihar. This can aid mid-range accuracy, and makes the Helsing quite lethal in skilled hands. Overpressurized, the Helsing's arrows possess even heavier damage than the Tihar's bullets, though the difference is not quite overwhelming. 350px|right The Helsing suffers, however, at slightly longer ranges; arrows, putting it simply, have poor ballistics. The Helsing's arrows have a short travel time as well as a notable dip to their trajectories at extreme range (even fully-pressurized), made worse by a tendency to drift slightly at mid-to-long-range. Whilst hitting a man-sized target at this range is little trouble for a skilled shot with the Helsing, picking that same target at a longer range becomes a lesson in aggravation as shots that would be easily landed by the revolver, Tihar, or VSV are infuriating endeavors for Helsing users. A good example is the Light Bulb in the small alcove on Black Station - normally, this must be shot out in order to reliably get inside this area to progress, should you be going the Merciful route. This shot is virtually impossible to take with the Helsing; the bulb is too small a target, and even with the Helsing fully-pressurized, you will find yourself habitually unable to shoot out this light with the Helsing. All in all, the Helsing is simply not very good at longer ranges, especially without the scope; up-close and out to medium range is where the Helsing is at its best. The Helsing has other drawbacks, as well. It tends to go through pressure quicker than the Tihar, and its pump is less efficient than that of its sniper rifle cousin. Worse, due to how the pumping system on the Helsing operates and short ready-time before it can fire, it's extremely easy to accidentally discharge an arrow when trying to overpressurize the tank. It holds about half as much ammo as the Tihar, and fires and reloads much slower, which means that the Tihar is genuinely better for rapid-firing when the situation intensifies or goes awry. Making the situation a bit more finicky, the Helsing's pressure gauge is somewhat hard to read compared to the blatantly-obvious Tihar's. It's especially prominent on 4:3 displays. Scoped Helsing The biggest drawbacks of all, however, are financial; arrows are extremely expensive ammo because of their re-usability; for the price of 20 military grade rounds, you can get as many as 40 rounds of 12-gauge buckshot, 100 5.45mm rounds, or 160 Tihar rounds. One may laugh at this due to the reusability of arrows, but bear in mind - arrows that cannot be recovered are lost, sometimes the arrow will break and will be unable to recover, and they are by far the least common ammo type encountered in Metro 2033. The arrows are mostly found on walls, target ranges, or sometimes, windowstill or other Helsings. You will wind up losing some - guaranteed. Moreover, the Helsing is also extravagantly expensive - one of the most expensive weapons in the game, with only the Heavy Automatic Shotgun and Kalash 2012 being worth more, should you wish to buy the scoped version - which is only available in Armory Station. Later in the game the player will encounter enemies who carry more pouches and armor. While the Helsing can penetrate pouches and some armor, it will usually cause the item to fall off the enemy. This can be a problem if the item falls out of reach, or if it penetrates an ammo pouch (as picking up the ammo pouch first will cause the arrow to vanish). If the enemy falls over on top of the arrow there is a risk the player won't be able to recover it. Play it to its strengths and the Helsing is incredibly powerful and useful; unfortunately all that power comes with a cost. Bear these in mind and it's a true professional's weapon and one to be respected. Variants and Obtaining There are two versions of this handy weapon that can be picked up. Related Achievements Trivia * The Helsing is a reference to the crossbow used in the movie Van Helsing, as both can fire multiple arrows before having to reload. * Khan carries a scoped one, and uses it to help Artyom in Dry Station, if the player chooses a stealth approach. * If Artyom stands idle long enough with it equipped, he will clean the iron sights and adjust the fittings (Non-Scoped version) * In the twelve-minute E3 preview of Metro: Last Light the Helsing is seen with a reflex sight attached to it. Gallery Helsing z LL (FPP).jpg|In-game Helsing, as seen from the first person perspective in Metro: Last Light. Category:Weapons